As Tiger Nation remains in a deep state of mourning, we wait to see if Who Dat Nation can keep marchin' on. Keep in mind, there are all kinds of marches.

In the case of LSU, the game plan, in military jargon, seemed to be: "About-face, to the rear march."

There are times, even in the worst of blowouts, the losing team enjoys a moment or two.

In a little more than three hours, in a 21-0 loss to Alabama, the Tigers had one.

They blocked a field goal.

Obviously, Les Miles was roundly out-coached.

Nick Saban figured, correctly, the Tigers would try to run the ball right at the Bama defense, which they had done with some success in a 9-6 overtime victory in November. Not this time.

Saban also figured, correctly, the Tigers defense would be focusing mainly on stopping Trent Richardson on the ground, not AJ McCarron in the air. It allowed a quarterback, who had problems in the first meeting, all the time he needed to put the ball in the air 25 times, and do enough damage to be the game's offensive MVP.

LSU's defense tried to keep the offense in the game. The offense never got out the starting gate.

As we turn the page and move from Tiger-Tide to Saints-49ers, we go from a storyline of a team in position to win a championship with a 14-0 record to one that will send the NFL's No. 1 offense against one of the league's top defenses.

You have Sean Payton and Drew Brees going to war against a defense that sacked the quarterback 42 times, with an offense that allowed only 24 sacks, second-lowest in the league.

"Brees has thrown the ball 700 times and been sacked only 24 times, that's incredible," said 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who was a Saints assistant on Jim Mora's staff. "And it's not only Brees. It's all those receivers, like that 6-6 tight end, Jimmy Graham. He caught 99 balls during the regular season. He's a challenge no matter who's covering him, a linebacker, a safety, a corner. They're really hard to prepare for. Coach Payton makes use of all his weapons, like Darren Sproles, who can come at you as a receiver or a running back. They've got a great scheme. You never quite know what to expect. That offense is an all-day sucker for any defense. We've got to come ready to go."

I asked Bobby Hebert for his take on Saturday's matchup, and the former Saints quarterback went right to the quarterback position.

"I like the Saints because they have a Joe Montana at quarterback and the 49ers have a Bobby Hebert," he said about a duel between Brees and Alex Smith.

San Francisco Coach Jim Harbaugh has made it a point to praise a first-round pick who, he says, "has been thrown under the bus by his own team more than once."

When Mike Nolan was coaching the Niners, he openly questioned Smith's toughness. When Mike Singletary was the coach, he called Smith "meek."

Harbaugh calls Smith "one of my mighty men."

Listening to Gregg Williams before the Saints' first preseason game in August, you got the feeling Smith would be receiving special attention.

"I've been pretty good putting bad days behind me," said the defensive coordinator going back to a season-ending playoff loss to Seattle. "I haven't put this one behind me. I can't stop thinking about it. I'm just waiting for the right time."

The right time was the preseason opener. Williams turned the dogs loose. On 18 of the first 22 snaps, the Saints blitzed on the way to a 24-3 victory.

Although Smith was without a 300-yard passing game in a 13-3 season, he had a league-low five interceptions for starting quarterbacks, playing a role in his team's plus-28 turnover margin and fewest giveaways (10 compared to the Saints' 19).

On the receiving end, Michael Crabtree, with 73 catches, and Vernon Davis, with 67, have helped Smith's cause.

"I like what I have seen on offense and defense," said Fangio, who prefers being upstairs than on the field.

"Jim is heavily involved in the offense," he said, "and doesn't get involved in the defense. The only time we talk during a game is when a penalty comes up and it's one of those not obvious to take or decline. We have a great working relationship that way.

"I like being upstairs, getting a better view of what's happening. You get a pace of the game better, you see issues better. You're also able to remove yourself from the emotion of the game, not wasting time and energy yelling at an official. Upstairs you can yell all you want and not get a flag."